The Bone Cell Molecular and Functional Analysis is designed to provide Center members with a broad-based resource that facilitates the rapid achievement of experimental goals. To this end, of the main focus of the Core is placed on providing cellular "reagents" and specialized procedures that are not readily (or easily) implemented in an individual investigator's laboratory. It is not expected that this Core will be one of the most highly-used in the Center. Currently, 36 of the Center members have expressed an interest in using the Core. Of these, 19 have a strong need for such a Core. Their requirements for Core-usage are detailed in Table 1. It should be noted that these 19 investigators, in aggregate have 61 NIH-funded projects that will be greatly enhanced by the Core's operations. In general, the bone cell biology/functional analysis component is designed to provide the Center investigators with three types of services. The Consultation and Training service provides users with access to the Core, as well as a means for the transfer of specific procedures into the investigator's laboratory. A second Core component is a cell-culture facility that maintains multiple osteo-phenotypic cell lines, provides large-scale cell induction, and cell immortalization. The final Core component is to provide specialized services such as immunological techniques, cytokine and extracellular matrix molecular assays, and bone the cell purification.